Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Wingdings and other things....

There is a program used at my place of work that is...tempermental, at best. It is a poorly designed, glorified data base which is an evil necessity for everyone in the office. Everyday we log on and pray that the program will be having a good day. We keep our fingers crossed as we ask the program (ever so nicely) for the needed information. You can hear various groans or verbal signs of joy as the program decides whether you are among the lucky. 40% of the time, you are not.

My issues with the program is not that it will duplicate information by itself or even that it will only give you information on its own terms. My complaint lies solely in the printing from the program.

Once the desired documet is found, you ask to print it. The program gives you multiple formats with which to print. You choose one and print. Then you must decide the amount, the pages, and the printer (as a default for all or any of these is not an option). The last step is going into the program preferences and checking the box that reads 'print as image.' Should you not check this box, your document will print as nothing but wingdings and you will have to start over. Guess how many times I have made that mistake. :)

Here is my question. What is a wingding? How did this foreign language find its way into the workplace? Are there people out there who can actually read this craziness? For me, it simply frustrates me. If you happen to know the history of the wingding, please, enlighten me. I really want to know.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The people in charge of your well being

I am well versed in the ways of insurance companies. I speak in code and I can usually spout jargon at any given time. I impress Andy with my vast knowledge of billing codes that correspond with various diagnoses and procedures that you may find in your run of the mill orthopedic clinic.
In my time here I have dealt with some very helpful people, some very unhelpful people, and some down-right incompetent people. This post pertains to the latter.

The People in Charge of Your Well Being:

"Pregnancy will be covered as any other sickness" a quote from a recording one must sit through to speak to a customer service representative. This isn't about an incompetent person; it just struck me as silly.

"Why does a dentist care if a kid has screws in his hips?" a quote from a confused person who didn't know the difference between an orthopedist and an orthodontist.

"We need a diagnosis to approve the requested diagnostic service." An answer given to me by a customer service representative of a very large and popular insurance company.

An actual conversation:
Rep: "What is your name?"
Me:"Candace. May I have yours?"
Rep:"Candace"
Me:"No, that's my name. May I have your name?"
Rep:"Your name? Candace"
Me:"Right. Candace. That's my name. What's yours?"
Rep:"Candace"
Me:"Your name is Candace?"
Rep:"No. It's Theresa."

To think, these are the people that decide whether your surgery will be approved. Brilliant. Who says we don't need Health Care reform?

Friday, September 5, 2008

A few choice words

The English language is funny, don't you think? It is so easy to make up your own words by adding -ish, -ing, -ly or whatever suffix you wish.

However, some people use the English language thinking they are correct, but missing the boat completely. Here are a few choice words/phrases/pronunciations:

"Supposebly"- This is used by the people who are just confused. However, the people who use this word are certain that their variation on this word is correct.

"Irregardless"- Though this is technically a word, it is misused and makes a person sound stupid.(Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.-Dictionary.com)

A lazy tongue: Pronouncing the word "Sale" as "Sell." Also pronouncing the word "Seal" as "Sell." For instance: "Did you see the sell they had at wet sell?" No joke, Andy and I heard this sentence actually spoken at Gateway mall. Yikes.

Dropping the 'T'- Usually found in Utah, this speech anomaly is also due to a lazy mouth. Words such as mountain and fountain mysteriously are rewritten as someone puts them into a sentence. "That fou_ain is right below the moun_ain...You know, just east of Lay_on?

"But at the same time"- I worked with a person who used this phrase countless times in one day (every day). Though she used it with confidence I very much doubt that she ever thought about the meaning of what she was saying. She would throw two thoughts at random into a sentence and link them with 'but at the same time'. "I like to drive to work, but at the same time, I could really go for a bologna sandwich."

Please feel free to add your own stories and examples. I'd love to hear them!